Title: Ted (2012)
Director: Seth McFarlane
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth McFarlane, Giovanni
Ribisi, Sam J. Jones
Review:
When Ted was first released in theaters, I totally ignored
it because I thought it was going to be a stupid movie, a one trick pony about a
Teddy bear doing all sorts of obscene stuff. And while it was that, it was also
much more than that and I’m sorry I missed this super funny movie in theaters,
I totally underestimated, my bad. Still,
I managed to laugh just as much in the comfort of my home and so I’m here to
say that if like me you thought Ted was going to be a sucky movie and haven’t
seen it yet, then give it a chance, you’re missing out on a truly funny movie.
Story is all about this kid named John who is a social outcast;
his class mates make fun of him and he is lonely most of the time, which is why
he ends up talking to his teddy bear. Like many kids at that age, when they got
no friends, they make up one. One night, John wishes upon a star. His wish is
that Teddy would be real, so he could talk to him like a real person. To his
surprise, his wish comes true; his Teddy bear has come to life! Fast forward
thirty years and John is now an adult and his Teddy bear still talks! In fact,
John and Ted are best buds, they smoke weed, drink and party together. They are
inseparable. Problem is that John’s
girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis) wants’ more out of their relationship and gives
John and ultimatum: her or Ted.
The most relevant thing about Ted are the themes it plays with. Yeah
we have a little Teddy smoking weed and cursing like a sailor, but at its core Ted
is a movie about growing up, leaving behind childish comfort zones and facing responsibilities
head on. Sometimes, people don’t want to face the often times overbearing
responsibilities of adult hood. Some would just rather party all the time, like
that stupid ass Eddie Murphy song. To
some, responsibilities loom heavily on the horizon, threatening to end all their
fun in life, so they ignore them and party as much as they can. Problem is that,
if you don’t face these responsibilities and ignore them instead, then you’re
hiding away from growing up, you remain a child forever, hence the term “Peter
Pan Syndrome” a term commonly used in the world of psychiatry for people who
just don’t want to grow up. These are people who are afraid to face anything
that threatens their comfort zone. They don’t want to hear their parents, girlfriend,
or friends telling them to “do something with your life”. Basically, people
like this shun away anything that questions or threatens anything in their
comfort zone. People who suffer from this state of mind, shun the rest of the
world because they don’t want to face it, they feel inadequate facing others
who have moved on with their lives.
John, the character played by Mark Wahlberg isn’t so far
down the rabbit whole, he’s at least managed to get himself a beautiful
girlfriend played by Mila Kunis, and he wants to become an adult even though he
is already 35 years old. He has fallen into that gutter where your life is
essentially going nowhere. But his girl is willing to give him a chance, and
John at least demonstrates a desire to stand up for himself and become a man; which
of course includes one of the biggest responsibilities imposed by society on
any human being: marriage! The ultimate compromise! Can John grow up, get
married and become a man? That all depends on him leaving his child like things
behind, his comfort zones which include smoking weed, drinking like a mad man
and watching movies. The problem with these things is not that John does them,
it’s that they are the only things he does with his life. It’s all about that
delicate balancing act, work hard and then you can party hard. But it can’t all
be party! John at least admits that he is 35 and “going nowhere”. So this is a
movie about a man who has to stop wasting his life away. The problem is Ted the
talking Teddy bear. This little talking Teddy represents that friend that doesn’t
want to stop partying, the facilitator of mirth, the one that always calls you
up to hang out and party like there’s no tomorrow. According to the film, this
type of friend can be detrimental to a person, because they are the kind of
friends who won’t let you move on with their lives, who will drag you down with
them into their own neverland.
But you have to admit; sometimes a good party has a strong
pull! And in this film the party is not only filled with babes, drugs and
alcohol, it also counts with the presence of Sam J. Jones, the actor who played
Flash Gordon ("Quarter Back, New York Jets!") in Mike Hodges’s Flash Gordon (1980)! This was the coolest joke in
the movie for me because I am a fan of that particular Flash Gordon film, it’s
so campy, so flashy, so cheesy, but oh so very fun! Thing is that this Flash
Gordon joke is a running gag throughout the whole freaking movie so I was
laughing like a mad man every step of the way. Take it from me; if you’re a fan
of that Flash Gordon film, with Queen singing “Flash! AaaAaaaaa he’ll save
everyone one of us!” then you are in for a special treat with Ted.
"Look Flash, there's Tim Burton blast him away with your laser cannon!"
Ted can be categorized as a “guy’s film” which is basically
the kind of movie a guy will want to play for all his buds in his man cave,
drinking beers and eating pizza, though woman can also identify with the film
since it is a woman that is pushing John to make all these changes in his life.
The theme of commitment in a relationship is also one that women will find
interesting. Though if they want to see the female verison of this film, then I urge them to check out Young Adult (2011) starring Charleze Theron which plays with similar themes but from a females point of view. Word of warning to those who can’t take a raunchy jokes, the film
does indulge into its fare share of vulgar jokes that I’m sure many will find
offensive, but again, Gene Simmons definition of success shines through: “offend as many people as possible”. This film might have had a Teddy Bear smoking
weed, drinking beers and attempting to have sex (even though he has no penis!),
yet still, the film went on to make more than 500 million dollars at the box
office! So a ‘congratulations’ is in order for first time director Seth
McFarlane. Making such a huge hit his first time out is always something good,
let’s see if he can duplicate it with his next one, which no doubt we will be
seeing sometime soon. I’m sure the success of Ted has Hollywood knocking on his
door as I type this.
Rating: 5 out of 5
The original 'Flash Jump'!
No comments:
Post a Comment